Chanel has issued an apology after Gabourey Sidibe said she was racially profiled while trying to buy glasses at the Chanel store in Chicago.
In an essay for Lenny Letter earlier this week, the actress said that when she inquired about buying frames, a salesperson told her the boutique doesn’t sell optical specs and instead directed her across the street to a discount store.
“I’d love to pretend she was being polite, and I’m sure she would love to pretend she was polite, but she was actually condescending,” wrote Sidibe, 34. “… I knew what she was doing. She had decided after a single look at me that I wasn’t there to spend any money.”
Detailing experiences throughout her life, the star continued, “No matter how dressed up I get, I’m never going to be able to dress up my skin color to look like what certain people perceive to be an actual customer. Depending on the store, I either look like a thief or a waste of time. There doesn’t seem to be a middle ground between no attention and too much attention.”
Sidibe says her weight has played a part in people profiling her, too. “I suspect it’s because I’m black, but it could also be because I’m fat,” she said. “Maybe my whole life, every time I thought someone was being racist, they were actually mistreating me because I’m fat. That sucks too. That’s not OK.”
Following the publication of Sidibe’s essay, Chanel issued an apology, saying, “We are sorry that she felt unwelcome and offended. We took her words very seriously and immediately investigated to understand what happened, knowing that this is absolutely not in line with the high standards that Chanel wishes to provide to our customers.”